Minecraft recently changed its usage guidelines to stop the use of token-gating models and play-to-earn models on fan-operated game servers, clearing the way for developer Mojang to reportedly demand action against a server that paid players in Bitcoin. Minecraft creator Markus Persson, the creator of Mojang, has now come out in support of the move.
In 2014, Notch, who sold Mojang and Minecraft IP to Microsoft, posted a tweet about Decrypt's article covering the Bitcoin server.
It's great that they are cracking down on nonsense like this, he said.
Decrypt asked Notch for further clarification on his stance regarding Minecraft servers that utilize play-to-earn and NFT-gating features, but did not immediately hear back.
Satlantis, an independent, fan-owned Minecraft server that pays players Bitcoin rewards for completing in-game tasks, has announced it will withdraw the earning feature from the game after receiving a demand from Mojang.
Satlantis founder David Dineno said in a discord post that he tcomplied. Satlantis removed the feature and said it would migrate the experience to another gaming platform.
Microsoft hasn't yet responded to Decrypt's request to confirm the takedown request.
Minecraft's long-awaited ban on NFT ownership banned access to non-player services, resulting in a long-awaited ban on access to in-game features. The ban was announced in July 2022, but hadn't been implemented until a year later, Decrypt said. In 2014, Microsoft bought Mojang and Minecraft IP for $2.5 billion and Notch left the studio he founded as a billionaire. He boasts about $1.2 billion of his own wealth, with Forbes forecasting his net worth at $1.2 billion.
Notch hasn't been officially involved in Minecraft since then, and has been banned from attending the game's 10-year anniversary event in 2019 following a string of controversial and transphobic comments on Twitter.